Frames for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding assemblies including detachable pickup members

ABSTRACT

According to various aspects, exemplary embodiments are disclosed of frames for shielding assemblies including detachable or severable pickup members. Also disclosed are exemplary embodiments of shielding assemblies (e.g., board level shields, etc.) including the same.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/790,291 filed Jan. 9, 2019. The entiredisclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to frames for EMI shieldingassemblies including detachable or severable pickup members, andshielding assemblies (e.g., a board level shield (BLS), etc.) includingthe same.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the presentdisclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

A common problem in the operation of electronic devices is thegeneration of electromagnetic radiation within the electronic circuitryof the equipment. Such radiation may result in electromagneticinterference (EMI) or radio frequency interference (RFI), which caninterfere with the operation of other electronic devices within acertain proximity. Without adequate shielding, EMP/RFI interference maycause degradation or complete loss of important signals, therebyrendering the electronic equipment inefficient or inoperable.

A common solution to ameliorate the effects of EMP/RFI is through theuse of shields capable of absorbing and/or reflecting and/or redirectingEMI energy. These shields are typically employed to localize EMP/RFIwithin its source, and to insulate other devices proximal to the EMP/RFIsource. For example, board level shields are widely used to protectsensitive electronic devices against inter and intra systemelectromagnetic interferences and reduce unwanted electromagneticradiations from a noisy integrated circuit (IC).

The term “EMI” as used herein should be considered to generally includeand refer to EMI emissions and RFI emissions, and the term“electromagnetic” should be considered to generally include and refer toelectromagnetic and radio frequency from external sources and internalsources. Accordingly, the term shielding (as used herein) broadlyincludes and refers to mitigating (or limiting) EMI and/or RFI, such asby absorbing, reflecting, blocking, and/or redirecting the energy orsome combination thereof so that it no longer interferes, for example,for government compliance and/or for internal functionality of theelectronic component system.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are notintended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a frame or fence of a board levelshield (BLS) that includes a pick and place bridge (broadly, a pickupmember) having double V-cut connections or attachments to the frameaccording to exemplary embodiments.

FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 are respective top, bottom, and side views of the BLSframe shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the BLS frame shown in FIG.1, and showing two spaced apart connections or attachments includingV-cuts between one of the arms and a corresponding portion along and/oradjacent a sidewall of the frame.

FIG. 7 illustrates an arm of a conventional BLS frame that has a singleconnection or attachment to a sidewall portion of the frame.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding (although notnecessarily identical) parts throughout the several views of thedrawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

Disclosed herein are exemplary embodiments of frames for EMI shieldingassemblies including detachable or severable pickup members. Alsodisclosed are exemplary embodiments of shielding assemblies (e.g., boardlevel shields, etc.) including the same.

As disclosed herein, a frame may include a pick and place bridge(broadly, a pickup member) having severable or detachable connections orattachments between the arms or legs (broadly, members) and a pick andplace island (broadly, a pickup area). The arms extend generally betweenthe pickup area/island and corresponding portions along and/or adjacentsidewalls of the frame.

The attachments or connections between the arms and the frame portionsmay be configured (e.g., provided with double V cuts, etc.) to bereadily and/or relatively easily severed (broadly, detached), to therebyallow the entire pick and place bridge (including the arms and theisland) to be readily removed from the frame, e.g., after the frame hasbeen installed (e.g., soldered, attached via surface mount technology(SMT), etc.) to a substrate. For example, in exemplary embodiments, eacharm may be attached or connected to corresponding portions of the framevia at least two spaced-apart connections or attachments that areseparated by an opening therebetween. The connections or attachments mayinclude V-cuts to reduce material thickness as compared to an initialthickness of the material used to form the frame and the bridge.

With reference to the figures, FIGS. 1 through 5 illustrate an exemplaryembodiment of a frame or fence 104 including a pick and place bridge 108(broadly, a pickup member) embodying one or more aspects of the presentdisclosure. The bridge 108 includes a pick and place island 128(broadly, a pickup area) and arms or legs 116 (broadly, members). Aboard level shield (BLS) may include the frame 104 and a cover or lidthat is attachable to the frame 104.

As shown in FIG. 6, at least two connections or attachments 112 arebetween each arm 116 of the bridge 108 and a corresponding portion 120of the frame 104 along and/or adjacent sidewalls 124 of the frame 104.An opening 114 (e.g., a semicircular opening, etc.) is between theconnections or attachments 112 along each arm 116. Accordingly, each arm116 may be attached or connected to the corresponding portion 120 of theframe 120 via at least two spaced-apart connections or attachments 112that are separated by an opening 114 therebetween.

The connections or attachments 112 may include V-cuts (e.g., stampedwith V-cuts, etc.) or otherwise configured to have a reduced thicknessas compared to an initial thickness of the arm 116. In this illustratedembodiment, the connections or attachments 112 are provided (e.g.,stamped, etc.) with V-cuts configured to be readily and/or relativelyeasily severed (broadly, detached) to thereby allow the entire pick andplace bridge 108 (including the bridge's arms 116 and pick and placeisland 128) to be readily removed from the frame 104, e.g., after SMTmounting of the frame 104 to a printed circuit board (PCB), etc.

The island 128 may be configured to allow the frame 104 to be picked upand carried by pick and place equipment (e.g., a gripper, a pneumatichead, a vacuum pick-and-place head, a suction cup pick-and-place head,etc.). By way of example, the island 128 may be generally circularand/or generally centrally located relative to the frame 104. The arms116 may be configured to position the island 128 generally at about acenter of mass of the frame 104, which, in turn, may allow for morebalanced carrying of the frame 104 by pick and place equipment.

The arms 116 extend generally between the island 128 and correspondingportions 120 along and/or adjacent sidewalls 124 of the frame 104. Inthis example, the arms 116 extend from the island 128 to portions of aneve, flange, rim, or lip 120 of the frame 104 that extends inwardly fromand/or along a perimeter defined by the frame's sidewalls 124. The evemay define an open top or opening 130 of the frame 104. The bridge 108and the connections or attachments 112 may be generally parallel withthe eve 120 of the frame 104. Alternative embodiments may include aframe having a flangeless construction (e.g., without an inwardlyextending eve, flange, rim, or lip, etc.) in which the V-cut connectionsor attachments are disposed between the bridge's arms and upper edgeportions of the sidewalls of the frame.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, each arm 116 includes an end portion having firstand second connections or attachments 112 to a corresponding portion 120of the frame 104. The attachments or connections 112 are separated andspaced apart from each other by the opening 114 (e.g., semicircularopening, etc.). The opening 114 has a closed shaped defined generallybetween the first and second connections or attachments 112, the portion120 of the frame 104, and the end portion of the arm 116.

In this illustrated embodiment, the frame 104 includes five arms 116,specifically, a first arm 132, a second arm 136, a third arm 140, afourth arm 144, and a fifth arm 148. The first and second arms 132, 136extend from the pickup area or island 128 in generally opposite paralleldirections towards opposite sidewalls of the frame 104. The third andfourth arms 140, 144 extend away from the pickup area or island 128 in asame generally parallel direction towards a front sidewall of the frame104. The fifth arm 148 extends from the pickup area or island 128 in agenerally opposite parallel direction than the third and fourth arms140, 144 towards a back sidewall of the frame 104. Alternativeembodiments may include more or less than five arms 116 and/or arms 116having a different configuration (e.g., different location, differentorientation, etc.).

As disclosed herein, the attachments or connections 112 between the arms116 and the frame portions 120 are configured to be readily and/orrelatively easily severed (broadly, detached) to thereby allow theentire pick and place bridge 108 including the arms 116 and the pick andplace island 128 to be readily removed from the frame 104. For example,the frame 104 may be carried via the pick and place bridge 108 andplaced onto a substrate (e.g., PCB, etc.). The frame 104 may then beinstalled (e.g., soldered, attached via surface mount technology (SMT),etc.) to the substrate, etc. After the frame 104 has been installed(e.g., soldered, SMT processed, etc.) to the substrate, the connectionsor attachments 112 may be severed along their respective V-cuts and thepick and place bridge 108 may be removed from (e.g., lifted off, etc.)the frame 104 while the frame 104 remains installed on the substrate.

FIG. 6 shows two spaced-apart connections or attachments 112 between oneof the arms 116 and a portion of the frame's eve 120. Also shown in FIG.6 are V-cuts across a width of each of the two attachments orconnections 112. The V-cuts may be formed by stamping or other suitablemanufacturing process for removing material from the connections orattachments 112.

The opening 114 (e.g., a generally semicircular opening, etc.) betweenthe two attachments or connections 112 may also be formed by stamping orother suitable manufacturing process for removing material from the arm116. Due to the absence of the material that forms the opening 114,considerably less material is thereby used for the two attachments orconnections 112. Because the two attachments or connections 112 includeless material and reduced widths due to the presence of the opening 114therebetween, the attachments or connections 112 may be more easilysevered.

In addition, the V-cuts across the width of each attachment orconnection 116 reduce the material thickness of the attachments orconnections 112 along the V-cuts. The reduced material thickness allowsthe attachments or connections 112 to be more easily severed.

The presence of the opening 114 and the V-cuts may thus allow theattachments or connections 112 to be relatively easily severed along theV-cuts. By way of example, the attachments or connections 112 may bemanually severed using conventional tweezers or other another suitableprocess (e.g., an automated process using pick and place equipment,etc.) without having to exert a large force that might otherwise distortthe frame 104 and without requiring cutting, shearing, or clipping ofthe connections or attachments 112 between the bridge's arms 116 and theportions 120 of the frame 104. By way of further example, a relativelysmall force within a range from about 2 Newtons (N) to about 40 N may besufficient for severing the V-cut attachments or connections 112 in anexemplary embodiment.

Advantageously, the bridge or pickup member 108 may be relatively easyto remove from the frame 104 without having to use to a special jig andwithout having to cut the connections or attachments 116 between thebridge 108 and the portions 120 of the frame 104. Despite the relativeease of severing the V-cuts, the connections or attachments 112 may beconfigured to be sufficiently strong and/or durable to withstand theprocess used to manufacture (e.g., stamping, folding, drawing, bending,integrally forming, etc.) the frame 104 and the bridge 108. The V-cutsmay also be configured (e.g., have a sufficient material thickness,etc.) to provide sufficiently secure connections (e.g., withoutlooseness or instability issues, etc.) for the installation process(e.g., soldering, SMT process, etc.) used to install the frame 104 to asubstrate (e.g., PCB, etc.).

By way of example only, the bridge 108 may have a material thicknesswithin a range from about 0.05 millimeters (mm) to about 0.5 mm. Forexample, the frame 104 and bridge 108 may be integrally formed (e.g.,stamped, folded, drawn, bent, etc.) from a single piece or blank ofelectrically-conductive material (e.g., stainless steel, etc.) having athickness within a range of 0.05 mm to about 0.5 mm (e.g., a thicknessof 0.5 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, etc.). A width ofeach arm 116 may be within a range from about 1.5 mm to about 6 mm(e.g., 1.5 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, etc.). Depending on thematerial thickness of the bridge 108, the material thickness along theV-cuts may be within a range from about 0.05 mm to about 0.5 mm (e.g.,0.05 mm, less than 0.5 mm, etc.). The width of each V-cut may be withina range from about 0.4 mm to about 1 mm (e.g., 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.6 mm,0.7 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.9 mm, 1 mm, etc.). The dimensions provided herein areexamples only as other exemplary embodiments may be configureddifferently, e.g., sized differently, etc.

The frame 104 may be formed from a single piece ofelectrically-conductive material (e.g., single blank of material, etc.)such that the frame 104, pickup member or bridge 108, andconnections/attachments 112 have an integral, monolithic, single-piececonstruction. For example, a flat profile pattern for the frame 104,bridge 108, and connections/attachments 112 may be stamped into a pieceof material, and then the frame's sidewalls 124 may be formed, bent,drawn, shaped, folded, etc. Even though the frame 104, bridge 108, andconnections/attachments 112 may be integrally formed (e.g., stamping andthen bending/folding/drawing, etc.) from the same piece of materialsubstantially simultaneously in this example, such is not required forall embodiments.

The frame 104 may be configured for installation to a substrate (e.g.,printed circuit board (PCB), etc.) generally about one or morecomponents on the substrate such that the one or more components will bewithin an interior or shielding enclosure cooperatively defined by theframe 104 and a cover or lid that is attached to the frame 104. When theframe 104 is installed (e.g., soldered, etc.) on the substrate, theframe 104 and cover may be operable for shielding the one or morecomponents that are within the interior or shielding enclosurecooperatively defined by the frame 104 and the cover.

A wide range of electrically-conductive materials may be used to formthe frame 104 such as nickel plated aluminum alloy, tin plated aluminumalloy, cold rolled steel, nickel-silver alloys, copper-nickel alloys,stainless steel, tin-plated cold rolled steel, tin-plated copper alloys,carbon steel, brass, copper, aluminum, copper-beryllium alloys, phosphorbronze, steel, alloys thereof, a plastic material coated withelectrically-conductive material, or any other suitableelectrically-conductive and/or magnetic materials. The materialsdisclosed in this application are provided herein for purposes ofillustration only as different materials may be used depending, forexample, on the particular application

In exemplary embodiments, the frame 104 may be made of a solderablematerial (e.g., ½ hard 770 Nickel Silver, stainless steel, othersolderable material, etc.). The frame 104 may include a continuous,unbroken bottom edge. Alternatively, the frame 104 may include mountingfeet along the lower edge portion of the frame 104. The mounting feetmay be formed with castellations (e.g., formations with alternatingnotches and projections, etc.). The mounting feet may provide areas forsoldering the frame 104 to PCB solder pads, etc. The notches or openingsbetween adjacent pairs of the mounting feet may allow solder to flowaround the mounting feet for securing the frame 104 to PCB solder pads.In other embodiments, the mounting feet may fit in correspondingopenings in a substrate for securing the frame 104 to a substrate. Instill further embodiments, a frame may not include any spaced-apartmounting feet along its lower edge portions. Instead, the frame mayinclude sidewalls each having a generally continuous lower edge portion.In addition, alternative means besides soldering may also be employedfor securing a shield to a substrate, such as adhesives, mechanicalfasteners, etc.

In exemplary embodiments, a cover or lid may be provided that isreleasably attachable to the frame 104 for covering the open top 130 ofthe frame 104. For example, the cover may include dimples configured tobe engagingly received within openings or holes 152 (FIG. 5) along theframe's sidewalls 124. In this example, the lower surfaces of thecover's dimples may include or be operable as camming surfaces. As thecover is slidably moved downward relatively onto the frame 104, thecamming surfaces may contact the eve or top edge 120 of the frame 104.This contact may then cause outward flexing of the cover's sidewallportions. The outward movement of the cover's sidewall portions mayallow the cover's dimples to slide along the frame's sidewalls 124 untilthe cover's dimples are aligned with the holes 152 in the frame'ssidewalls 124. The cover's sidewall portions may then resiliently move,flex, or snap back inwardly to thereby frictionally engage the cover'sdimples within the frame's holes 152. Alternative embodiments mayinclude other suitable means or attachment mechanisms for releasablyattaching a cover or lid to a frame instead of or in addition to dimplesand holes.

The cover or lid may also be detachable from and reattachable to theframe 104, such that the cover is reusable, e.g., after rework, etc. Forexample, after the frame 104 is soldered or otherwise installed onto aPCB, the bridge 108 may be removed and then a cover or lid may bereleasably attached to the frame 104. If reworking and/or other PCBcomponent access becomes necessary, the cover may be detached andremoved from the frame 104 to allow reworking and PCB component accessthrough the open top 130 of the frame 104 while the frame 104 remainsinstalled onto the PCB. After the reworking and/or PCB component accessis completed, the same cover may then be reused and reattached to theframe 104. The cover may be manually removable such as by using a tool(e.g., a plastic shim, etc.), etc. Additionally, or alternatively, thecover or lid may be configured to be removable via an at least partiallyautomated process (e.g., without manual intervention, etc.), such as byusing suitable pick and place equipment (e.g., a gripper, a pneumatichead, a vacuum pick-and-place head, a suction cup pick-and-place head,etc.).

The cover or lid may be formed from a single piece ofelectrically-conductive material (e.g., single blank of material, etc.)such that the cover has an integral, monolithic, single-piececonstruction. For example, a flat profile pattern for the cover may bestamped into a piece of material. The cover's sidewalls may then beformed, bent, drawn, shaped, folded, etc. Even though the cover may beintegrally formed (e.g., stamping and bending/folding/drawing, etc.)from the same piece of material substantially simultaneously in thisexample, such is not required for all embodiments.

A wide range of electrically-conductive materials may be used to form acover or lid disclosed herein such as nickel plated aluminum alloy, tinplated aluminum alloy, cold rolled steel, nickel-silver alloys,copper-nickel alloys, stainless steel, tin-plated cold rolled steel,tin-plated copper alloys, carbon steel, brass, copper, aluminum,copper-beryllium alloys, phosphor bronze, steel, alloys thereof, aplastic material coated with electrically-conductive material, or anyother suitable electrically-conductive and/or magnetic materials. Thematerials disclosed in this application are provided herein for purposesof illustration only as different materials may be used depending, forexample, on the particular application.

In exemplary embodiments, a thermal interface material may be applied toand/or used along with a board level shield (BLS) including a framedisclosed herein. For example, a thermal interface material may beapplied along an inner and/or exterior surface of a BLS cover or lidthat is attachable to the frame. Example thermal interface materialsinclude thermal gap fillers, thermal phase change materials,thermally-conductive EMI absorbers or hybrid thermal/EMI absorbers,thermal greases, thermal pastes, thermal putties, dispensable thermalinterface materials, thermal pads, etc.

Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled inthe art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples ofspecific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thoroughunderstanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not beemployed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many differentforms, and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of thedisclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes,well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are notdescribed in detail. In addition, advantages and improvements that maybe achieved with one or more exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure are provided for purpose of illustration only and do notlimit the scope of the present disclosure, as exemplary embodimentsdisclosed herein may provide all or none of the above mentionedadvantages and improvements and still fall within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

Specific dimensions, specific materials, and/or specific shapesdisclosed herein are example in nature and do not limit the scope of thepresent disclosure. The disclosure herein of particular values andparticular ranges of values for given parameters are not exclusive ofother values and ranges of values that may be useful in one or more ofthe examples disclosed herein. Moreover, it is envisioned that any twoparticular values for a specific parameter stated herein may define theendpoints of a range of values that may be suitable for the givenparameter (i.e., the disclosure of a first value and a second value fora given parameter can be interpreted as disclosing that any valuebetween the first and second values could also be employed for the givenparameter). For example, if Parameter X is exemplified herein to havevalue A and also exemplified to have value Z, it is envisioned thatparameter X may have a range of values from about A to about Z.Similarly, it is envisioned that disclosure of two or more ranges ofvalues for a parameter (whether such ranges are nested, overlapping ordistinct) subsume all possible combination of ranges for the value thatmight be claimed using endpoints of the disclosed ranges. For example,if parameter X is exemplified herein to have values in the range of1-10, or 2-9, or 3-8, it is also envisioned that Parameter X may haveother ranges of values including 1-9, 1-8, 1-3, 1-2, 2-10, 2-8, 2-3,3-10, and 3-9.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexample embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As usedherein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” may be intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and“having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described hereinare not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance inthe particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specificallyidentified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood thatadditional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on”, “engaged to”,“connected to” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may bedirectly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element orlayer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast,when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engagedto”, “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element orlayer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Otherwords used to describe the relationship between elements should beinterpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directlybetween,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein,the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more ofthe associated listed items.

The term “about” when applied to values indicates that the calculationor the measurement allows some slight imprecision in the value (withsome approach to exactness in the value; approximately or reasonablyclose to the value; nearly). If, for some reason, the imprecisionprovided by “about” is not otherwise understood in the art with thisordinary meaning, then “about” as used herein indicates at leastvariations that may arise from ordinary methods of measuring or usingsuch parameters. For example, the terms “generally”, “about”, and“substantially” may be used herein to mean within manufacturingtolerances.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein todescribe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections,these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should notbe limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguishone element, component, region, layer or section from another region,layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numericalterms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearlyindicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region,layer or section could be termed a second element, component, region,layer or section without departing from the teachings of the exampleembodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath”, “below”,“lower”, “above”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatiallyrelative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations ofthe device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depictedin the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turnedover, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements orfeatures would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features.Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation ofabove and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptorsused herein interpreted accordingly.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements, intended orstated uses, or features of a particular embodiment are generally notlimited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, areinterchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if notspecifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in manyways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from thedisclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be includedwithin the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electromagnetic interference (EMI) shieldingapparatus comprising: a frame including one or more sidewalls configuredfor installation to a substrate generally about one or more componentson the substrate; and a pickup member including a pickup area and one ormore arms each extending generally between the pickup area and acorresponding one of the one or more sidewalls of the frame, each saidarm including an end portion connected to a corresponding portion of theframe by at least two connections spaced apart from each other with anopening therebetween defined by the end portion of the arm and thecorresponding portion of the frame, each said connection configured tohave a material thickness less than a material thickness of thecorresponding arm and/or less than a material thickness of thecorresponding portion of the frames; wherein: the frame includes an evethat extends inwardly from and along a perimeter defined by the one ormore sidewalls of the frame; and each said arm is connected to acorresponding portion of the eve by at least two of said connections. 2.The EMI shielding apparatus of claim 1, wherein each said connectionincludes a V-cut across a width of the connection.
 3. The EMI shieldingapparatus of claim 1, wherein each said connection includes a portionacross a width of the connection whereat material is removed to therebyreduce the material thickness of the connection.
 4. The EMI shieldingapparatus of claim 1, wherein the end portion of the arm and thecorresponding portion of the frame are configured such that the openingbetween the at least two connections has a closed perimeter shape. 5.The EMI shielding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the end portion of thearm and the corresponding portion of the frame are configured such thatthe opening between the at least two connections has a semicircularshape.
 6. The EMI shielding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at leasttwo connections are configured to be severable from the frame to therebyallow for removal of the pickup member from the frame after the frame isinstalled on the substrate without distortion of the frame and with theframe remaining installed on the substrate without the pickup member. 7.The EMI shielding apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least twoconnections are configured to be severable with a force within a rangefrom about 2 Newtons to about 40 Newtons.
 8. The EMI shielding apparatusof claim 1, wherein each said connection includes a cut across a widthof the connection that reduces the material thickness of the connectionalong the cut.
 9. The EMI shielding apparatus of claim 1, wherein: theeve defines an open top of the frame; and/or the pickup member isgenerally parallel and co-planar with the eve.
 10. The EMI shieldingapparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more arms comprise: first andsecond arms extending from the pickup area in generally oppositeparallel directions towards opposite left and right sidewalls of theframe; third and fourth arms extending away from the pickup area in asame generally parallel direction towards a front sidewall of the frame;and a fifth arm extending from the pickup area in a generally oppositeparallel direction than the third and fourth arms towards a backsidewall of the frame.
 11. The EMI shielding apparatus of claim 1,wherein the one or more arms are configured to support the pickup arearelative to the one or more sidewalls of the frame such that the pickuparea is generally centered relative to a center of mass of the frame.12. The EMI shielding apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the pickup memberis integrally formed with and fixedly attached to the frame; and thepickup area is configured to enable the pickup member and the frame tobe picked up by pick-and-place equipment and placed on the substrate.13. A board level shield comprising the EMI shielding apparatus of claim1, and further comprising a cover releasably attachable to, detachablefrom, and reattachable to the frame, whereby the frame and the cover areoperable for providing EMI shielding for the one or more components onthe substrate that are within an interior cooperatively defined by theframe and the cover.
 14. A method comprising providing a frame includinga pickup member and one or more sidewalls configured for installation toa substrate generally about one or more components on the substrate, thepickup member including a pickup area and one or more arms eachextending generally between the pickup area and a corresponding one ofthe one or more sidewalls of the frame, each said arm including an endportion connected to a corresponding portion of the frame by at leasttwo connections spaced apart from each other with an openingtherebetween defined by the end portion of the arm and the correspondingportion of the frame, each said connection configured to have a materialthickness less than a material thickness of the corresponding arm and/orless than a material thickness of the corresponding portion of theframe; wherein: the frame includes an eve that extends inwardly from andalong a perimeter defined by the one or more sidewalls of the frame; andeach said arm is connected to a corresponding portion of the eve by atleast two of said connections.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein themethod includes removing material along a portion of each saidconnection that extends across a width of the connection to therebyreduce the material thickness of the connection.
 16. The method of claim15, wherein removing material along a portion of each said connectionincludes forming a V-cut along the portion of the connection thatextends across the width of the connection.
 17. The method of claim 14,wherein the method includes integrally forming the frame and the pickupmember from a single blank of material such that the opening between theat least two connections has a closed perimeter shape and/orsemicircular shape.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the methodincludes removing the pickup member from the frame that is installed tothe substrate by severing the at least two connections between each saidarm and the corresponding portion of the frame without distorting theframe such that the frame remains installed on the substrate without thepickup member.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein severing the at leasttwo connections includes using tweezers and/or a force within a rangefrom about 2 Newtons to about 40 Newtons to sever the at least twoconnections between each said arm and the corresponding portion of theframe.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the method includes: pickingup the frame by the pickup area of the pickup member attached to theframe and placing the frame on the substrate before removing the pickupmember; and attaching a cover to the frame after removing the pickupmember, whereby the frame and the cover are operable for shielding theone or more components on the substrate that are within an interiorcooperatively defined by the frame and the cover.